1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to packages and methods for making packages for shipping and carrying multiple containers and a related accessory.
2. Background
Packaging of products serves numerous purposes. For example, one of the most important roles of packaging is to protect products during shipping from impact and/or aggressive environments. Packaging, as a general matter should be efficient; it should occupy a minimum amount of space and require minimal and cost effective materials and structure.
Another essential role for packaging is marketing and advertising. Displayed side by side with its competition in the supermarket or sales outlet, the product with the most appealing package is likely to be the consumer""s choice. A product""s packaging, along with its price, and the style of its advertising, contributes to its overall xe2x80x9cimagexe2x80x9d in the mind of the consumer. The success of a marketing campaign frequently depends on this deliberate creation of an image.
More recently, there has been a trend to reduce the amount of packaging materials used due to environmental concerns. Environmental issues have also affected the content of packaging materials. For example, many manufacturers would like to use and consumers would like to buy products in recycled or recyclable packaging.
Thus, it is desirable to provide convenient packaging of products that is eye-catching to the consumer, while maintaining cost-effectiveness and environmental consciousness. A popular type of packaging that may be adapted to meet these needs is wrap-around packaging.
Wrap-around packaging surrounds only a portion of its contents such that another portion remains visible. Wrap-around packaging is superior to box-type containers in several respects. One advantage is that it requires less material to produce. Another advantage is that wrap-around packaging permits the manufacturer to display a portion of the contents, making them visible and more appealing to the consumer, thus increasing sales leverage.
A drawback of wrap-around packaging is that it often lacks the structural integrity of box-type packages. Package manufacturers have addressed this problem in various ways. For example, some wrap-around packages rely on the interrelation of the containers themselves to partially support the package. Another solution is to limit wrap-around packaging to use with lighter containers or to packages made to hold and display fewer containers. Alternatively, the wrap-around package may include a stiffening apparatus to provide additional support. However, including a stiffening apparatus adds bulk to the wrap-around package.
Another problem with wrap-around packaging is that many wrap-around packages obscure the products within almost completely. These types of packages also require a larger amount of fiberboard or other materials used to make the package. Extensive printing on such packages is necessary to advertise or market the packaged products, as they are not readily visible to consumers.
Wrap-around packaging designed to use less material and to display the products contained within often leaves only a limited area on the package for product markings. This places more emphasis on the markings of the products themselves, which may be partially obscured by the packaging. Other wrap-around packages rely primarily on the products themselves for markings. For example, a C-clamp package is known that allows the products within to remain highly visible when shrink-wrapped, but the area available for markings is limited. There is, therefore, a need in the art for a wrap-around package that allows the contained products to be viewed by consumers and sufficiently contains multiple products, while also providing a sufficient area for markings or graphics.
Manufacturers who desire to use wrap-around packaging to package disparately shaped products are at a particular disadvantage. The packaging may need to be designed to hold taller and shorter items or soft and hard items, for example. In the personal care industry, where packaging is particularly important for marketing, this is often a concern. Manufacturers hoping to pair a new product with a well known product and market the set must be able to package the two together. An example of a common pairing in the personal care industry is beauty products paired with a related accessory.
For example, in the personal care industry, aids to personal washing are well known. Common examples of washing aids are a washcloth, a loofah and textured gloves. A more recent type of washing aid is a puff. A puff is made of a mesh-like plastic material and is spherically shaped. Puffs are typically used in conjunction with a body wash. Body washes represent a new method of cleaning the body that can provide cleansing and moisturizing in one step. Body washes are used by applying a dab of liquid cleanser on a puff. The puff creates a creamy lather when massaged onto the body. The puff allows water and air to mix with the body wash, which can then be applied to the entire body. Cleansing agents in the lather remove dirt, while the moisturizers in the formula remain in suspension. As water rinses the lather away, the moisturizers are deposited on the clean skin and absorbed.
This type of personal washing has become increasingly popular. Manufacturers are able to incorporate scents and moisturizing agents into body washes to suit the particular needs of consumers. Body washes may also be marketed to a broad range of customers. For example, body washes may include ingredients suited to particular skin types. They may be marketed to children as a way to make bathing more fun. As body washes typically are used with a puff, it is desirable to sell both the puff and the body wash together. Other personal care products lend themselves to multiple product packaging. For example, body powder may be packaged with a powder puff; baby wash may be packaged with a washcloth; shampoo and conditioner may be packaged with a brush. The possibilities are numerous, but there is not a suitable packaging product that is currently provided that meets these multiple product needs.
Devising a package suitable for dissimilarly shaped products such as these presents a challenge to the packaging developer. First, it is desirable that both products be visible to the consumer. Second, it is desirable to minimize packaging materials, for both environmental and cost reasons. Finally, it is important that the packaging materials provide sufficient support to the products during shipping.
The use of wrap-around packaging with items such as a puff, powder puff, washcloth or similar accessory presents a particular problem because of the inability of the accessory to provide support for the package. Wrap-around packages using shrink-wrap to impart support to the packaging are known. This has the effect of displaying the accessory. However, shrink-wrap is susceptible to punctures. Known packages surrounding a puff with shrink-wrap risk the puff or other accessory being separated from the package during transit. Additionally, theft of the accessory is more likely where the surround is entirely comprised of shrink-wrap. Thus, there is a need in the art for a wrap-around package that effectively displays a puff or other accessory while reducing the risk of theft, damage or separation in transit.
The present invention relates to wrap-around packages that can display differently shaped products, such as containers of body wash and a washing aid or other commercial items, packaged together. Therefore, the invention may provide a marketing advantage for manufacturers wanting to sell coordinating, but disparately sized, products together.
This invention is an improvement over known wrap-around packages because it provides a sufficient area for markings or graphics, and also allows the products themselves to be viewed. Thus, manufacturers or retailers of products are not forced to rely solely on either the packaging or the product markings. This provides an advantage because the product markings may remain substantially the same, while the wrap-around packaging reflects sale pricing or seasonal marketing.
This invention solves the problems of displaying a product, such as a puff, washing aid or other accessory, while protecting it from damage or theft, through the use of a front panel that allows viewing of the product. An embodiment can include a product-receiving platform in a compartment with an aperture of sufficient size to display the puff or accessory. The aperture provides an advantage because, although the wrap-around package substantially encloses the product, it can be viewed through the aperture. For smaller products, the product-receiving platform can raise the product to a sufficient height such that it may be seen through the aperture. Because the product is partially enclosed by the wrap-around package, even if the shrink-wrap enclosing the package is punctured, the product will not fall out.
Wrap-around packages according to one embodiment of the present invention can include a back panel connected to a front panel and a support panel. The front panel and the support panel can be adapted to at least partially enclose products contained within the package and the front panel and the support panel may be adhered to one another. This embodiment can also include two lateral side flaps extending from the front panel that fold toward the back panel to form a first central compartment. The front panel may be adapted to allow viewing of a product contained within the central compartment. The two side flaps, the support panel and the back panel can form second and third compartments.
In one embodiment, the front panel is T-shaped and the side flaps extend from the long portion of the xe2x80x9cTxe2x80x9d. The front panel may also include an aperture adapted to allow viewing of a product contained with the central compartment.
In a particular embodiment of the invention, the wrap-around package can include a top panel connecting the front panel and the back panel. In another embodiment, the support panel may at least partially form a platform for displaying a product.
In another embodiment, the wrap-around package includes containers located within the second and third compartments and a washing aid or other accessory located within the central compartment. More particularly, the wrap-around package can be surrounded by shrink-wrap.
In another embodiment of the invention, the wrap-around packaging includes two central front and back panels; at least one end panel between the bottoms of the front central panel and the back central panel and separated from both central panels by scorelines; two side flaps, wherein each side flap extends laterally from the front central panel and is separated from the front central panel by a scoreline; a central compartment formed from the flaps, the front central panel and the back central panel; and second and third compartments formed by the flaps, the front central panel and the back central panel. The front central panel may be adapted to allow viewing of a product contained within the central compartment.
In one embodiment, the end panels include a top end panel located between the top ends of the front central panel and the back central panel.
In a particular embodiment, a bottom front end panel is separated from the bottom end panel by a scoreline and is adhered to the front central panel.
In another embodiment of the invention, the front central panel includes an opening.
In more particular embodiment, the central compartment contains a platform. In another embodiment, a washing aid or other accessory is placed on the platform.
In another embodiment of the invention, the package contains two containers and a washing aid or other accessory. In yet another embodiment of the invention, shrink-wrap surrounds the package.
The invention includes embodiment of blanks for forming wrap-around packages. The blanks have a base sheet having six scorelines to form seven panels. The base sheet includes a first panel for forming an elongated front panel that when formed is substantially perpendicular to a second panel; the second panel is located at the top of the structure; third and fourth panels of substantially the same size and shape for forming side panels extending laterally from the first panel and being substantially perpendicular to the second panel; a fifth panel forming a back panel that when formed is substantially perpendicular to the second panel and substantially parallel to the first panel; a sixth panel forming a bottom end panel that when formed is substantially perpendicular to the fifth panel and substantially parallel to the second panel; a seventh panel forming a bottom front end panel that when formed is substantially perpendicular to the sixth panel and is attached to the first panel, wherein the panels are folded to form a wrap-around package.
In another embodiment, the blank also includes an opening in the first panel. In a more particular embodiment, the blank has eighth and ninth panels forming a structure cut from the fifth and sixth panels, wherein the eighth panel when formed is substantially perpendicular to the fifth panel, and wherein the ninth panel when formed is substantially perpendicular to the eighth panel and the sixth panel and is attached to the seventh panel.
The invention also includes embodiments of methods for making wrap-around packages. The method includes printing data on a base sheet; forming cutout sections into appropriate sections of the base sheet; forming scorelines defining a plurality of panels, wherein a first panel defines an elongated front panel, a second panel defines a top panel, third and fourth panels define side panels, a fifth panel defines a back panel; a sixth panel defines a first portion of a bottom panel and a seventh panel defines a second portion of a bottom panel and provides a connection to the first panel; and applying adhesive to either the first panel or the seventh panel in order to secure the structure.
In a particular embodiment of the invention, eighth and ninth panels define a product receiving platform; and the method further comprises applying adhesive to the either the first panel or the ninth panel in order to secure the structure.